Putting the fun factor into gaming: The influence of social contexts on the experiences of playing videogames

The increasingly social nature of gaming suggests the importance of understanding its associated experiences and potential outcomes. This study examined the influence of social processes in gameplay and different gaming contexts on the experience of individual and group flow when engaged in the activity. It also examined the affective experiences associated with different types of social gaming. The research consisted of a series of focus groups with regular gamers. The results of the thematic analysis revealed the importance of social belonging, opportunities for social networking and the promotion of social integration for game enjoyment. However, social experiences could also facilitate feelings of frustration in gameplay as a result of poor social dynamics and competitiveness. The analysis also suggested that group flow occurs in social gaming contexts, particularly in cooperative gameplay. A number of antecedents of this shared experience were identified (e.g., collective competence, collaboration, task-relevant skills). Taken together, the findings suggest social gaming contexts enhance the emotional experiences of gaming. The study demonstrates the importance of examining social gaming processes and experiences to further understand their potential influence on associated affective outcomes. Areas of further empirical research are discussed in reference to the study’s findings.

[1]  L. Wheeler,et al.  Review of personality and social psychology , 1980 .

[2]  M. Csíkszentmihályi,et al.  Optimal experience: Psychological studies of flow in consciousness. , 1988 .

[3]  J. Lefevre,et al.  Flow and the quality of experience during work and leisure. , 1988 .

[4]  Ikuya Sato.  Optimal experience: Bosozoku : flow in Japanese motorcycle gangs , 1988 .

[5]  F. Massimini,et al.  The systematic assessment of flow in daily experience , 1988 .

[6]  R. Larson,et al.  The Use and Experience of the New Video Media Among Children and Young Adolescents , 1990 .

[7]  Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi,et al.  Flow: the psychology of happiness , 1992 .

[8]  M. Csíkszentmihályi.  The Evolving Self: A Psychology for the Third Millennium , 1993 .

[9]  M. Deutsch.  Educating for a Peaceful World , 1993 .

[10]  Diane Hughes,et al.  Using focus groups to facilitate culturally anchored research , 1993 .

[11]  R. Schiffer,et al.  INTRODUCTION , 1988, Neurology.

[12]  G. Ellis,et al.  Measurement and Analysis Issues with Explanation of Variance in Daily Experience Using the Flow Model , 1994 .

[13]  Craig A. Anderson,et al.  Competitive Aggression without Interaction: Effects of Competitive Versus Cooperative Instructions on Aggressive Behavior in Video Games , 1995 .

[14]  Mark D. Griffiths,et al.  Computer Game Playing in Early Adolescence , 1997 .

[15]  Kevin Durkin,et al.  Computer Games and Australians Today , 1999 .

[16]  C. R. Snyder,et al.  Handbook of positive psychology , 2002 .

[17]  Ian Jones,et al.  Leisure cultures : investigations in sport, media and technology , 2003 .

[18]  Mark D. Griffiths,et al.  Breaking the Stereotype: The Case of Online Gaming , 2003, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[19]  Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi,et al.  Good Business: Leadership, Flow, and the Making of Meaning , 2003 .

[20]  M. Hogg,et al.  The Sage Handbook of Social Psychology , 2003 .

[21]  L. R. Huesmann,et al.  Human aggression: A social-cognitive view , 2003 .

[22]  Jo Bryce,et al.  The Gendering of Computer Gaming: Experience and Space , 2003 .

[23]  Paul Cairns,et al.  A grounded investigation of immersion in games , 2004, CHI 2004.

[24]  Mark D. Griffiths,et al.  Video Game Playing and Gambling in Adolescents: Common Risk Factors , 2004 .

[25]  Martin Guha,et al.  The Sage Handbook of Social Psychology , 2004 .

[26]  Mark D. Griffiths,et al.  Demographic Factors and Playing Variables in Online Computer Gaming , 2004, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[27]  Leila Steinhilper.  The faces of televisual media. Teaching, violence, selling to children , 2004, Z. für Medienpsychologie.

[28]  Peter M. Wiemer-Hastings,et al.  Addiction to the Internet and Online Gaming , 2005, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[29]  Chih-Chien Wang,et al.  Physical Interpersonal Relationships and Social Anxiety among Online Game Players , 2005, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[30]  Peta Wyeth,et al.  GameFlow: a model for evaluating player enjoyment in games , 2005, CIE.

[31]  Jeroen Jansz,et al.  Gaming at a LAN event: the social context of playing video games , 2005, New Media Soc..

[32]  M. Davies,et al.  EverQuest—It’s Just a Computer Game Right? An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of Online Gaming Addiction , 2006, International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction.

[33]  S. Ross,et al.  An exploration of motives in sport video gaming , 2006 .

[34]  Nick Yee,et al.  The Demographics, Motivations, and Derived Experiences of Users of Massively Multi-User Online Graphical Environments , 2006, PRESENCE: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments.

[35]  Regan L. Mandryk,et al.  Using psychophysiological techniques to measure user experience with entertainment technologies , 2006, Behav. Inf. Technol..

[36]  Nick Yee,et al.  Motivations for Play in Online Games , 2006, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[37]  John L. Sherry,et al.  Narrative and interactivity in computer games , 2006 .

[38]  Andrew K. Przybylski,et al.  The Motivational Pull of Video Games: A Self-Determination Theory Approach , 2006 .

[39]  Marko Turpeinen,et al.  Spatial Presence and Emotions during Video Game Playing: Does It Matter with Whom You Play? , 2006, PRESENCE: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments.

[40]  V. Braun,et al.  Using thematic analysis in psychology , 2006 .

[41]  D. Kort,et al.  Digital Games as Social Presence Technology: Development of the Social Presence in Gaming Questionnaire (SPGQ) , 2007 .

[42]  Joshua M. Smyth,et al.  Beyond Self-Selection in Video Game Play: An Experimental Examination of the Consequences of Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game Play , 2007, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[43]  Jeroen Jansz,et al.  Appeal of Playing Online First Person Shooter Games , 2007, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[44]  Mark D. Griffiths,et al.  Social Interactions in Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Gamers , 2007, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[45]  Christoph Klimmt,et al.  Effectance and Control as Determinants of Video Game Enjoyment , 2007, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[46]  K. Poels,et al.  "It is always a lot of fun!": exploring dimensions of digital game experience using focus group methodology , 2007, Future Play.

[47]  John Colwell,et al.  Needs met through computer game play among adolescents , 2007 .

[48]  Yvonne de Kort,et al.  Shared Fun Is Doubled Fun: Player Enjoyment as a Function of Social Setting , 2008, Fun and Games.

[49]  Scott E. Caplan,et al.  Who plays, how much, and why? Debunking the stereotypical gamer profile , 2008, J. Comput. Mediat. Commun..

[50]  Bartholomäus Wissmath,et al.  Playing online games against computer- vs. human-controlled opponents: Effects on presence, flow, and enjoyment , 2008, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[51]  K. Fernow.  New York , 1896, American Potato Journal.

[52]  Yvonne de Kort,et al.  Influence of social setting on player experience of digital games , 2008, CHI Extended Abstracts.

[53]  Christoph Klimmt,et al.  Exploring the Enjoyment of Playing Browser Games , 2009, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[54]  Yvonne de Kort,et al.  Rules of Engagement: Influence of Co-Player Presence on Player Involvement in Digital Games , 2009, Int. J. Gaming Comput. Mediat. Simulations.

[55]  Wa Wijnand IJsselsteijn,et al.  See no rival, hear no rival : the role of social cues in digital game settings , 2009 .

[56]  Karolien Poels,et al.  Where everybody knows your game: the appeal and function of game cafés in western Europe , 2009, Advances in Computer Entertainment Technology.

[57]  Jong-Eun Roselyn Lee,et al.  When Playing Together Feels Different: Effects of Task Types and Social Contexts on Physiological Arousal in Multiplayer Online Gaming Contexts , 2009, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[58]  N. Ravaja.  The Psychophysiology of Digital Gaming: The Effect of a Non Co-Located Opponent , 2009 .

[59]  Ron Tamborini,et al.  Defining Media Enjoyment as the Satisfaction of Intrinsic Needs , 2010 .

[60]  Jan Van Looy,et al.  Player identification in online games: validation of a scale for measuring identification in MMORPGs , 2010, Fun and Games '10.

[61]  Byron Reeves,et al.  Computer agents versus avatars: Responses to interactive game characters controlled by a computer or other player , 2010, Int. J. Hum. Comput. Stud..

[62]  C. J. Walker.  Experiencing flow: Is doing it together better than doing it alone? , 2010 .

[63]  Leonard Reinecke,et al.  The Pleasures of Success: Game-Related Efficacy Experiences as a Mediator Between Player Performance and Game Enjoyment , 2011, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[64]  Amy Voida,et al.  Console gaming across generations: exploring intergenerational interactions in collocated console gaming , 2011, Universal Access in the Information Society.

[65]  Judith Ackermann,et al.  Playing Computer Games as Social Interaction: An Analysis of LAN Parties , 2012 .

[66]  M. Csíkszentmihályi.  Toward a Psychology of Optimal Experience , 2014 .

[67]  M. Csíkszentmihályi,et al.  The Concept of Flow , 2014 .